Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ii/paper-2/9c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 9C Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Differentiation of the Hubble parameter gives . The strong energy condition and the acceleration equation therefore implyAssume the present universe is expanding, , and normalize the scale factor by . Since , the past expanding branch has . On this branch,Integrating from a past time to gives . Thus, where the denominator is positive,The printed inequality needs this past-time qualification: for future times with , the inequality reverses. Independently, a concave function lies below its tangent, soPositivity of prevents the past branch extending before the zero of this tangent. If is the beginning of the expanding universe, its age satisfies . Without the normalization , the tangent bound instead reads .
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